Bonneville United F.C.
Bonneville United Football Club is a professional football club based in Bonneville, St. Gregory. The team plays in League A of the St. Gregory Football Association. The club was formed in 1988 as a result of the merging of the North Bonneville and West Bonneville clubs. The new club adopted North Bonneville's navy blue as its color. United are the most successful club in SGFA history, having won 10 League A titles, more than any other club. Their last League A title was in 2011-12. They are also 5-time winners of the SGFA Cup, second-most among all clubs, having last won in 2005-06. They are also the current holders of the SGFA Shield. The team plays at the 44,000-seat Ford Stadium, on Bonneville's west side. History Pre-United :See also: North Bonneville F.C. and West Bonneville F.C. The SGFA was founded in 1979 with six professional teams, three of which were from the city of Bonneville: North Bonneville, West Bonneville and East Bonneville. North were league champions in the inaugural season, 1979-80 and won the second edition of the SGFA Cup in 1981-82. They won the league championship again in 1983-84. In addition to their two league titles, North also finished as runners-up five times. West Bonneville, meanwhile, struggled both on the pitch and financially. The club finished third in 1980-81 but never bettered that result. In 1984-85, they finished last out of eight teams for the first time. The 1985-86 season saw a repeat of their last-place finish and with that season being the first to introduce promotion and relegation, West were relegated to League B. The team never returned to League A. By the end of the 1987-88 season, it was clear that the ninth season for West Bonneville would be their last. In June 1988, officials from the North and West clubs met to discuss a merger. On June 23, the SGFA approved the merger and allowed the new club, which would be named Bonneville United, to inherit North's place in League A as North were acquiring West's assets. West were removed from League B and Midland International took their place. Despite the nature of the merger, Bonneville United does not consider itself a continuance of North Bonneville and does not recognize North Bonneville's trophies as part of its history. Early years (1988-92) At both a playing and administrative level, there were growing pains as the former rivals now collaborated on a joint effort. United finished third in League A in their inaugural season, 1988-89, one place higher than North had finished the previous season, but behind their cross-town rivals, New Castle, and some distance behind league champions, Manorham. In the summer of 1989, the club signed English midfielder Tim Callaghan, one of the first major signings for an SGFA club. Richard Berghuis era (1992-2002) In the 1992 off-season, the club interviewed several candidates for the managerial position before deciding on Dutchman Richard Berghuis, who introduced the totaalvoetbal ("total football") style of play to St. Gregory for the first time. Berghuis named Callaghan as club captain and built a 3-4-1-2 formation around him, allowing Callaghan to direct the play while others rotated positions around him. The effect was immediate; United would finish the 1992-93 season 9 points clear of New Castle to claim their first League A championship. The following season would see Berghuis further bolster the United squad by bringing in several talented players from his homeland, including striker Jan van Amstel, midfielder Dirk van Vuuren and winger Alexander Mesman. Although United failed to defend their League A title, finishing third behind first-time champions CGC Red Stars, they reached the 1994 SGFA Cup Final where they were defeated by Manorham. van Vuuren left United during the transfer window midway through the 1994-95 season and Ukrainian midfielder Mikhail Kravets was signed as his replacement, becoming the first player from the former Soviet Union to join an SGFA club. The team once again reached the SGFA Cup Final in 1995 and were again matched up against Manorham. This time, United would have their revenge, winning 1-0 to claim their second trophy under Berghuis. In addition to the first team, Berghuis carefully oversaw development of players through the United Academy. In 1995, he promoted 16-year-old Greg Holloway to the reserve team. Holloway would go on to make his first team debut two seasons later and become one of United's most prolific goalscorers. Stadium :See also: Ford Stadium and Bonneville Oval Bonneville United's home ground is the City of Bonneville Stadium, known as Ford Stadium for sponsorship reasons. The stadium is situated in the central-west part of the city and has been United's home ground since the 1996-97 season, when the club moved from Bonneville Oval, which had been the home of North Bonneville F.C.. Bonneville Oval had been selected as the home for United for their first season in 1988-89 as it was a larger facility than Parc de l'Ouest, where West Bonneville F.C. had played. Even so, with a capacity of 17,500 it quickly proved far too small to meet with demand for tickets, and by 1990 the club and the city were in talks to build a new stadium. In 1991, the city approved a plan for a new 44,000-seat stadium, which would make it the largest football stadium in the Caribbean. Ground was broken on June 28, 1993, and on August 26, 1996, the City of Bonneville Stadium officially opened. The facility was renamed Ford Stadium shortly afterward when Ford Motor Company purchased a naming rights deal, which remains in place today. Colors, crest and nickname United are known as the Dark Blues, a name they inherited when they adopted the all-blue kits of North Bonneville. West Bonneville's all white kits with green trim served as the away. These colors have remained unchanged since the club's inception, however the green trim disappeared from the away kit in the 1999-2000 season. Fans who previously followed West Bonneville are known to refer to United as the Explorers. United's crest features a white silhouette of an explorer to refer to the West Bonneville part of their heritage. 'Kits' Bonneville United's uniforms are supplied by adidas, who took over from Umbro in 1999. The shirt sponsor is Ford Motor Company. The 2015-16 Bonneville United kit features 10 sublimated horizontal stripes down the front of the jerseys, one for each of the 10 League A titles the club has won. Support Bonneville United are reputed to be the most supported club in St. Gregory and have the highest average home attendance of any club in the Caribbean. The club recognizes two official supporters groups, The Blue Armada and Le Coin Bleu (or "Blue Corner"), the latter being geared primarily towards French-speaking supporters. Rivalries :See also: Bonneville derby and Bonneville United-FC Chapman rivalry Bonneville United have rivalries with several clubs. The most notable is the Bonneville derby against New Castle (formerly East Bonneville), which goes back to before North and West Bonneville merged. During the 1990s, United formed rivalries with Manorham and Zane Hills due to those clubs often challenging United for league and cup honors. The rivalry with Zane Hills was especially highlighted by the competition between two central midfielders, Tim Callaghan of United and Paul Wiggins of Zane Hills, who despite their off-field friendship were fierce competitors when they faced one another. In recent years, United's main competitive rival has been FC Chapman. Chapman are second only to United in terms of League A titles and both teams are perennially inside the top three. United finished second behind Chapman in the 2013-14 season. Players 'Current squad' : As of June 4, 2015 Former players :Further information: Category:Bonneville United F.C. players Honors * League A: 10 :1992-93, 1996-97, 1997-98, 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2007-08, 2010-11, 2011-12 * SGFA Cup: 5 :1994-95, 1996-97, 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2005-06 Category:Club pages Category:Bonneville United F.C.